Electric sign



- FQB. MILLER ELECTRIC SIGN Filed July 15. 1921 March 4 1924.

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BY W Patented Mar. 4, i924.

FATNT FRANK B. IEILLEB, OF TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA.

ELECTRIC SIGN.

Application filed July 15, 1921. Serial No. 484,956.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Terre l-laute, county of Vigo, and State of lndiana, haveinvented a certain new and usefu Electric Sign; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like numeralsrefer to like arts.

This invention relates to an electric display sign wherein it is desiredto make a sign at a relatively low cost which will be an imitation of,and appear at a'distance as, a sign wherein the letters are composed ofa plurality of incandescent lamp bulbs.

The particular feature of this invention lies in producing a sign ofsubstantial dimensions, wherein the letters are formed from a pluralityof honeycomb openings which project laterally and are provided with aplurality of reflecting side walls, whereby each opening will at adistance give the general appearance of an incandescent lamp bulb,because of the reflection and deflection of the rays of light emanatingfrom the interior of the sign. This is accomplished by providing abox-like sign body containing one or more incandescent lamp bulbs whichis provided with a master reflector for reflecting the rays laterallythrough the openings in the casing which form the lettering. The raysreflected through the openings then strike the honeycombed laterallyextending walls or projections whereby they are again reflected in alldirections as emanating from a lam at that point. I

The full nature of this invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and claim.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the sign. Fig. 2 is asection taken on the line. 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a modified formshowing a front elevation of the central panel of F 1 with theprojections circular instead of square. Figs. f and 5 are modified formsshowing the honeycomb openings of various shapes. Fig. 6 is a modifiedform showing the invention adapted for use in a design.

In the drawings there is shown a sign comprising a plurality of panels10 secured together to form the front face of an electric display sign.The back of the sign 1S similarly formed by the panels 11, and isprovided with the top and bottom panels 12 and 13. The front and back,top and bottom panels, form a box-like structure entirely enclosed, inwhich there is mounted a diagonally disposed master reflector 1 f extending longitudinally of the sign and from near the top rear corner to'near the lower front corner or vice versa, and having corner reflectors15 positioned longitudinally of the sign and diagonally of each corner,as shown in Fig. 2. With this arrangement a source of illumination,comprising a lamp 16, is placed at the top of the sign and a lamp 17 atthe bottom thereof, or as many lamps as may be necessary to extend fromend to end of the sign. The lamp 16 projects its rays on the upper sideof the reflector 14 from whence the rays are reflected substantially ina lateral direction through the sign openings 18, and the rays of lightfrom the lamp 17 are similarly reflected from the under surface of thereflector 14 through the openings 18 in the opposite side of the sign.The openings 18 are cut in the panels 10 to outline the lettering orfigures of the sign as shown in Fig. 1, and they are surrounded byhoneycomb reflecting walls 19 which project laterally therefrom at asubstantial distance. In Figs. 1 and 2 they are shown squared and foursided having four reflecting surfaces.

Some of the rays of light are reflected from the reflector 14 throughthe aperture 18 directly outwardly and appear to come directly from thelamp posltioned in said aperture, while other rays of light strike thehoneycomb reflecting walls 19 and are reflected therefrom in varyingdirections so that the appearance is that they emanate from a pointwithin or adjacent said walls. The reflection by the surrounding wallsof each aperture causes a full and complete set of light rays to emanatetherefrom which, at a distance, gives the appearance that they areemanating from a source of illumination from that point, i. e., withinthe embracing walls of that particular aperture. Wherein a plurality ofsuch apertures and embracing honeycomb walls are positioned adjacenteach other to form a letter, as shown in Fig. 1, the appearance at adistance from the sign is that there is a source of illumination or lampbulb at each aperture. A similar eflect is given on the opposite side ofthe sign in the same manner.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 3 the apertures 18 are shown circularinstead of square, and the walls thereof 19 are circular and producesubstantially the same effect. In Fig. 4: the apertures 18 are hexagonaland are surrounded by six hexagonally disposed reflecting walls 19". Inthe modified form shown in Fig. 5 the apertures 18 are circular, whereasthe surrounding reflecting walls 19 are corrugated so as to increase thereflecting surface and vary the direction ofthe reflected rays of light.In the modified form shown in Fig. 6 there is represented therein afigure in the form of a star, which figure is formed from a plurality ofapertures 18, each surrounded by a reflecting wall 19 which is shaped toaccommodate itself to the particular aperture which it surrounds.VVherein an unusually large sign is formed, the letters may be enlargedby substituting a plurality of apertures and their correspondingreflecting walls for the single aperture shown herein, which willproduce substantially the same efiect. However, it is obvious that theeffect will not be produced as well wherein the apertures andsurrounding reflecting walls are too large or of too great an area.

What I claim is A sign structure comprising a housing having arepresentation of a design or let ter thereon, a source of illuminationmounted within said housing, a plurality of apertures within the side ofsaid housing so arranged as to outline said letter or design, areflecting surface positioned within said housing extending at an angleto the plane through said apertures through which the rays of right arereflected thereby, and a plurality of outwardly extending honey-combmembers positioned adjacent each other and secured to said housing so asto coincide with and surround said apertures, said members comprisingreflecting walls extending outwardly at right angles thereto and perpendicular to said housing at substantially a distance equal to the widthof said apertures for reflecting the rays of light passing therethrough.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto at fixed my signature.

FRANK B. MILLER.

